John William Grinden, 86, of Albany died Jan. 4 at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House.
John is survived by his wife, Dolores of Albany; two daughters and sons-in-law, Dorothea and Rick Steel of Myrtle Creek and Elizabeth and Scott Johnson of Albany; eight grandchildren Amber Grinden of Baltimore, Md., who was raised by John and Dolores, Shawna Williams of Myrtle Creek, Erin Otis of Williamsburg, Va., Stephanie Gordon of Katy, Texas, Brian Johnson of Nehalem, Kristen Hounton of Albany, Jacob Johnson of New York, N.Y., and Kaleb Johnson of Albany; 16 great-grandchildren; and brother Tony Grinden of Cerritos, Calif.
He was preceded in death by son John Francis Grinden; brothers Kenneth and Donald; and sisters June, Margaret and Merlin.
John was born in Ely, Minn., to parents Ole Lars and Louise Antoinette Grinden. He grew up in Minnesota graduating from Chisham High School and served in the United States Army.
He married Dolores Estelle Snider on June 15, 1950, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and then moved to Southern California where he worked for Bekin's Van Lines and raised his family. He later moved the family to Coos Bay and then to Albany where he resided until his death. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Family requests that memorial contributions be made to Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House or Immanuel Lutheran Church.